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Best Overall Motorcycle Jacket

Gypsymoth82

A-List Customer
Messages
323
Location
Ottawa
Rolex Submariner = Lost Worlds (for the bike, of course). Off the bike there are many other equivalents. Used LW can be had very reasonably, around 50% new cost.
I spoke with Staurt today actually. He said based on my measurements, a stock 42 Reg would work great. Now to find one!
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,413
Location
SoFlo
^^
If @Carlos840 is running out of storage space you might get lucky. Otherwise put a WTB ad here in the classifieds, set up ebay alerts and eventually you'll find one.
 

photo2u

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,008
Location
claremont california
Echoing @Guppy here, literally the best motorcycle jacket that I have ever owned was by First Gear by Hein Gericke. And it was seriously at least one level over any Vanson that I had tried on or anything else.

Massively heavy, soft leather
Removable armor with installed soft (foam) armor
Removable termo-insulating lining, good for ANY winter & once removed, the jacket can easily be worn on a warm day due to light mesh lining
Removable neck warmer!
Two hand-warmers and super deep D-pocket for anything plus one kidney panel pocket
Back vents
Fully functional deep shoulder gussets with vents
Side laces for waist adjustment, comboed with a belt
8 lbs heavy
And so on...

To me personally, almost none of the jackets mentioned on the Fedora Lounge qualify as motorcycle jackets, especially next to this thing. Not even Langlitz. Some Vanson models but that's about it.

s-l1600.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

il_1140xN.2598084670_cbo9.jpg

I have such a jacket. Made by JL. Two actually, One short style and the other longer in design when a ride my dual sports BMW. However, Dainese makes the best quality motorcycle jacket for protection. My favorite Dainese is an Italian made from their techno line, It is a black jacket with Kevlar protection. Some of the best protection with all the other necessary features are made by rev'it. The line of jackets I own from them are mainly for the dual sports type. Also own BMW which makes excellent products for the same type of dual sports. However, If riding my Harley, I wear the "biker" type jacket. I prefer Cal Leather, LW trojan/J23 and the Vansons model E along with my Californian creation's, branded garments. For a budget jacket. Nothing beats a branded leather xzip Or similar brands made in the good old US.
 
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Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,736
Location
London, UK
The ultimate answer, I suspect, to the question of appropriate motorcycle legwear are these:


1666873595053.png


No, but seriously.... These Bowtex leggings come it at around GBP100 last I looked. You can pay more for black ones if you feel insecure about wearing primrose yellow, but given they are intended for wear under your regular clothes.....

These babies are AAA-rated to the EU PPE standards for motorcycle wear - you'll not get better than that. They're some variation of the kevlar / aramid stuff, with the highest possible rating for abrasion resistance, and pockets for the armour. They also make a shirt version for the upper body. You could ride in a tweed suit or supermarket denims over the top and be safely protected from a spill. The tweed / denim won't come out of it looking too clever, but providing you aren't riding somewhere where this extra layer canes you with the heat (maybe a linen suit on top then?), this is an easy solution. Apparently the guy who designed them came up with the notion because he wanted to wear his favourite pair of jeans on the bike, and couldn't find any actual riding jeans that fitted him as well as they did.
 

jacketjunkie

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,212
Location
Germany
Am I the only one bothered by the Rolex Submariner analogy for the „best of both performance and style“-jacket? :D

I agree with anyone pointing to Vanson and Lost Worlds though. Vanson has more of a streets wear appeal and in the overall spectrum of offered styles probably the edge on functionality, Lost Worlds is more elegant.

Langlitz has been mentioned but still deserves more credit imo. Great range of motion, high quality leather that offers protection and looks great (unless you are into vintage looking jackets because Langlitz will look as new for years). A custom straight zip, shirt collar Langlitz Cascade would be my personal go-to for your purposes. (Easy decisionmaking only because I already own pretty much all straight zip Vanson styles).
 

Gypsymoth82

A-List Customer
Messages
323
Location
Ottawa
Am I the only one bothered by the Rolex Submariner analogy for the „best of both performance and style“-jacket? :D

I agree with anyone pointing to Vanson and Lost Worlds though. Vanson has more of a streets wear appeal and in the overall spectrum of offered styles probably the edge on functionality, Lost Worlds is more elegant.

Langlitz has been mentioned but still deserves more credit imo. Great range of motion, high quality leather that offers protection and looks great (unless you are into vintage looking jackets because Langlitz will look as new for years). A custom straight zip, shirt collar Langlitz Cascade would be my personal go-to for your purposes. (Easy decisionmaking only because I already own pretty much all straight zip Vanson styles).

Man I'm getting Submariner Flak :) I love mine. It's an amazing piece of kit, I find it beautiful, comfortable, functional and wearable in most settings that I might find myself in. Yes, there are lot's of watches out there that are arguably better in many different ways, but if I never get another watch I'd be okay with that. It's a big ask, but that is what I am really looking for in a leather motorcycle jacket.
 

barnabus

One Too Many
Messages
1,369
Location
Britain's oldest recorded town
The ultimate answer, I suspect, to the question of appropriate motorcycle legwear are these:


View attachment 460290

No, but seriously.... These Bowtex leggings come it at around GBP100 last I looked. You can pay more for black ones if you feel insecure about wearing primrose yellow, but given they are intended for wear under your regular clothes.....

These babies are AAA-rated to the EU PPE standards for motorcycle wear - you'll not get better than that. They're some variation of the kevlar / aramid stuff, with the highest possible rating for abrasion resistance, and pockets for the armour. They also make a shirt version for the upper body. You could ride in a tweed suit or supermarket denims over the top and be safely protected from a spill. The tweed / denim won't come out of it looking too clever, but providing you aren't riding somewhere where this extra layer canes you with the heat (maybe a linen suit on top then?), this is an easy solution. Apparently the guy who designed them came up with the notion because he wanted to wear his favourite pair of jeans on the bike, and couldn't find any actual riding jeans that fitted him as well as they did.

I have the Pando Moto version of those leggings, and also a Knox Urbane Pro 2 for the top half. The Pandos fit under any of my jeans, and the Knox is no thicker than a sweatshirt, so I can wear whatever I want and be safe.

I'm also fortunate enough to have specific leather riding jackets and armoured jeans, as well as a couple of armoured Kevlar "casual" shirts, so I think all my bases are covered in terms of being safe and reckoning I look cool.
 
Messages
16,402
Tried on a few Goldtop styles they had at a Bike Shed in London, the jackets are indeed very nice in every regard but sadly, I also don't recall if I even checked for the country of make. Regardless, for the price, I'd say definitely worth it. Everything about the jackets felt premium, much better than the photos would suggest.
 

Spiney

One of the Regulars
Messages
223
I've never heard of them, thank you. Are they made in the UK?
Not made in the uk. Not 100% sure where. As Monitor said, great jackets for the money regardless of country of origin. Fully safety rated for riding with removable armour. I’ve tried on a couple, nice stuff. They are only 30 miles from me.
 

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